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(File photo by John Moore / Getty Images)
Schools in Washington state have so far experienced low levels of transmission of COVID-19, according to the state Department of Health.
A new report details data on 84 outbreaks from August 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 at K-12 schools across the state. The report includes both public and private schools and all learning modalities. An outbreak is defined as two or more positive cases of COVID-19 among students and staff with onset of symptoms within a 14-day period of each other.
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During the nearly five-month period studied, 13 counties reported outbreaks associated with schools. In total, the 84 outbreaks included 305 cases of COVID-19. Of these cases, half involved students aged 18 or younger. The DOH says 64% of outbreaks involved two or three cases.
“There is encouraging news here,” Laura Newman, PhD, MHS, senior epidemiologist in response to the COVID-19 outbreak said in a press release. “We are seeing fairly low levels of COVID-19 transmission in school settings so far. The majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools involve three cases or less, and school administrators, teachers and staff do a good job of implementing preventative measures that limit the spread of COVID-19. “
“Our goal is to help schools protect the health of their staff and students, their families and the community at large. We are sharing this data so that educators, families, local public health and communities can see and learn from what is happening in schools with regards to COVID-19, ”added Lacy Fehrenbach, MPH, Deputy Secretary to Health, COVID-19 Response.
Of the 305 cases, 42% were non-Hispanic white, 9% Hispanic, 4% other, and 45% unknown. Sixty-one percent were women. The age groups with the most cases were 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years at 17% each. None of the cases were hospitalized overnight and no deaths were reported, according to the state study.
The study included all modes of learning: in-person, hybrid, distance, distance with exceptions, and other / unknown. At the time of the outbreaks, 12% of schools were teaching face-to-face, 22% were using a hybrid teaching model, 6% were using a distance learning model, 12% were operating a distance model with exceptions, and 48% l ‘were. the use of another training model or data on their method was not available. The DOH says the exceptions include in-person learning for students with special learning needs.
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In the study, the county with the highest number of cases associated with schools was Spokane at 151. Snohomish County had 53 of 305 cases, and Clark County had 24. King County had 20 of 305 cases. in total.
The State Department of Health plans to release another report on outbreaks in schools at the end of February. This report is expected to include data from August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021.
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